The Baptist Medical Centre

The Baptist Medical Centre (BMC) was started about 50 years ago by the International Mission Board and the Ghanaian Baptist Convention to meet the great physical needs in the Northern region of Ghana. It is a 140 bed hospital (I'm not sure of the actual number of patients it can hold because I've seen patients on the floor). The hospital grounds are about 750 acres and in addition to the hospital, there are 12 houses used to staff missionaries and staff, a school for the missionary kids, a malnutrition center, a health department that does vaccines and prenatal care, and a TB village. There are 3 long-term doctors here presently. Dr. Faile, whose father actually helped start the hospital, is a family practice doctor who also does most of the surgeries and has been here for over 20 years. Dr. Hewitt is a family practice doctor who has also been here for many years. They are both IMB missionaries. Dr. Dickens is an OB-GYN who has been here since last November and is planning on being here for 2 years. All of these men work very hard... I have shared about how much I work and how tiring it is, but these men work longer and harder than I do, year after year. Even with 3 full-time doctors and many volunteers, the need remains great. In addition, Dr. Faile & his wife Elisabeth are retiring and actually leaving in just a few weeks. They will leave a great void and no one is really sure how things will be once they are gone, especially since Dr. Faile is the main surgeon. And since the missions giving is down and the sending of IMB missionaries has decreased as a result, the worry is what will happen if no other doctor comes, especially because the Hewitts are up for Stateside next summer. I share this with you to ask for your prayers for this hospital and the leadership. Pray for everyone during this transition times as the Failes leave. Pray for God's provision of another full-time doctor. Pray for more volunteers to help lessen the great load. Pray that I would be a help and an encouragement to all here during this time. And if you know of any doctors that might be interested in coming here long-term or as a volunteer, please share with them about BMC. You can check out the hospital's website at www.baptistmedicalcentre.org